Day: March 28, 2011

The UK is putting their old aircraft carrier on the market. The HMS Ark Royal is up for sale, slightly used and with a ski ramp no less. From the Associated Press:

LONDON — For sale: one aircraft carrier, slightly used.

Britain put the mothballed carrier Ark Royal up for sale Monday on a military auction website.

The former flagship of the Royal Navy was decommissioned this month, four years ahead of schedule, as part of defense spending cuts. Bidders have until June 13 to make an offer. No minimum price was set.

The government sold another carrier, HMS Invincible, which was bought for its metal and towed to a Turkish scrap yard.

The Ark Royal could be sold for scrap, but there has also been a proposal to park it on the Thames river as a heliport.

Britain is reducing the army by 7,000 soldiers and slashing billions from its defense budget as part of deficit-reducing cuts.

From a Wikipedia page on the histroic ship which participated in the Bosinian War and the Iraqi War:

A Ministry of Defence spokesperson stated on 1 December 2010 that:

“All options are being considered in terms of what happens to the Ark Royal after it is decommissioned. We might also look at scrapping it, selling it or recycling it.”

Another option being explored is to moor her as a hotel, casino, museum ship or visitor attraction at the Royal Docks in east London or at Mablethorpe in Lincolnshire, along the lines of USS Intrepid or HMS Belfast, though some regard this as unlikely on cost grounds – the annual cost of running the ship as a museum has been estimated at £1 million. Another option being explored is to moor her as a floating helipad in London’s Royal Albert Dock.

All joking aside, it’s a sad day for the Brits who had one time ruled the oceans. Remember how the sun never set on the British Empire. That was made possible by the Navy. The British have had a long history of naval power but this isn’t good. They have just sold for scape the HMS Invincible to a Turkish company and their other existing carrier will be retired in 2014. They have one under construction but still, kinda sucks for the Brits.

On the other hand, if I had won the Lottery, I’d be bidding on a carrier. Man, I would be the popular kid then, parking my carrier down at the Riverfront. Of course, the museum people will throw a fit but hey, it’s an aircraft carrier. Beats the heck out of a museum about duck decoys. Oh well.